


Found Family

by Shinehollow



Category: Fallout 3, Fallout 4
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drug Addiction, F/F, Father-Daughter Relationship, M/M, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2020-05-19 16:27:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19360558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinehollow/pseuds/Shinehollow
Summary: First it was her father, alive and well. Then it was the self proclaimed meanest bastard in Little Lamplight. The Commonwealth was turning into a high school reunion, and all they was needed was Liberty Prime.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally able to write again, and what do I do except start yet another mutli-chapter fic I may not finish?

 It had been ten years since Project Purity had been completed. Ten years since she finished the project her father had nearly ruined her life to continue. Kate had decided to remain an enigma to the Capital Wasteland and headed west into the Mojave Wasteland, meeting a brash yet goodhearted courier before returning to the Capital. She then headed north, up into the Commonwealth, secretly hoping to do something as grad as the project, yet knowing that she could no longer play the hero for her own health. So wandering it was.

 She had ended up in a mostly deserted area of the Commonwealth, down south near Quincy, gazing at the dotted ruins with a sense of melancholy while kicking cans this way and that with her hands shoved into her pockets. Slight movement caught in the corner of her eye, and she turned to see a humanoid leg enter one of the more put together houses. She drew the gun off her back and slowly began to creep over, carefully watching in case the person had any dogs- mutated or otherwise- on their side. As she approached the ruined door, it opened and she came face to face with an old .32 pistol barrel.

 She stared blankly at it, debating on if she should raise her gun when she noticed the familiar pattern of a vault jumpsuit’s sleeve as the person slowly lowered the gun. She was about to make a snide to joke about their hesitation when a painfully familiar albeit ghoulish voice asked in disbelief, “Kate?”

 “Dad?” she asked, turning her gaze from the sleeve of his jumpsuit to the disappointing gas mask he was wearing over his face. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

 “I could ask you the same thing,” James said, gesturing around the deserted neighbourhood. Kate lowered her gun to her side. “I think my question is more important, because, you know, you _died_.” James was silent for a moment, before holstering his own gun with a heavy sigh. “You know ghouls?” Kate scoffed. “Of course I do. I’ve been out in the wastelands for 10 years, if I haven’t met a ghoul by now that would be sad.” James nodded absently. “You know how they’re created, right?”

 “Is this a biology lesson now? Of course I know how they’re created,” Kate snapped, then stopped. “Oh. You’re a ghoul. That explains the gasmask, at least.” James nodded again. They stood in silence for a moment, before Kate asked, “Can you take it off?”

 “No,” James said quickly. “Not right now, at least.” Kate snorted. “Don’t tell me you’re embarrassed. You’ve been a ghoul for ten years. Surely you’re used to your appearance by now?”

 “I was a human man for years before I became a ghoul,” he said. “It’s not like I was ghoulified as a child.”

 “I suppose,” Kate mumbled. _I would like to see your face again, though. Perhaps to forget the last time I saw it._ They were silent again, and Kate awkwardly kicked a rock around until her father cleared his throat and asked, “So, what are you doing here in the Commonwealth?”

 “Oh, you know, stuff,” she mumbled. “Been travelling here and there. I even went into Nevada six years ago. They had some shit going on there, to put it mildly. Almost made what happened in the Capital Wasteland seem tame, to say the least. Slavers pretending to be Romans and another group trying to become the new American government. And there was a friendly courier going batshit over one man in one ugly checkered suit.”

 “Glad to see your impeccable story-telling and your wonderful use of language hasn’t changed,” James said dryly. And again they lapsed into awkward silence. This wasn’t how she expected any possible meeting with her father to go. She had expected more hugging, maybe some rare tears on her part, not the awkwardness they kept inevitably falling into. She shifted her feet and decided to take the initiative. “Can I hug you?” James almost seemed startled by the question, and she almost thought he was going to say no until he walked over and hugged her. She carefully wrapped her arms around him, and buried her face into his chest. His vault jumpsuit no longer smelled of the vault’s clinic, but instead of the wasteland, of rotting wood and old stone. “You’ve grown a bit,” James said after a moment, and Kate shifted her head to snicker, “These boots are platform.” Her father chuckled. “I suspected as much. You never did like being short.”

 “Yeah, Butch never liked me short either. It was so much easier to kick his ass when he couldn’t catch me.” James stepped away from her with another deep sigh. “That ruined the moment.” Kate scoffed. “It’s true.” James turned away from her and began to walk back into the house only asking, “Where are you headed?” Kate lifted her arm and looked at the map on her Pip-boy. “I haven’t really decided yet. Maybe Diamond City. Goodneighbor’s said to be a shitty place.” Yet another silence fell between them as her father leaned causally on the wall by the door, and Kate bit her lip before asking, “I know I’ll probably have to change up how I do things, but, do you want to come with me?”

 “Ghouls aren’t allowed in Diamond City,” James said, and Kate let out an exasperated sigh. “You’ve already hid your face. All we need to do is get you some gloves and you’ll be fine. We can even blame your raspy voice on sickness, not ghoulification.” James stared at her thoughtfully for a moment, before asking her, “Do you have any gloves I could wear?” Kate dumped her backpack on the ground and starting digging through it. She pulled out the old Mechanist’s gloves and held them out. “Might have to roll down your sleeves but otherwise you’ll be fine.” James glanced at them, before asking carefully, “Are these the only ones you have?”

 “Yes,” Kate said, shaking them. “If you want to spend some quality time with the daughter who you’d let think you were dead for ten years to make up for it you’ll wear these gloves. Otherwise I’ll go to Diamond City on my own.” James sighed and grabbed them. “You can be quite persuasive, sweetheart. Where’d you get that from, I wonder?”

 “You,” Kate answered flatly, and James stopped midway trying to put his glove over his Pip-boy. “How are you so sure?” Kate closed her backpack. “I found a holotape. That’s all I will say about the subject.” She stood up and put it back on her back as her father watched her in confusion. He shook his head once, before finally putting on the gloves.

 “You know, I have the full costume,” she said with a snort of amusement at his odd getup. “You can wear it in its entirety, if you like.”

 “No, I think this is fine,” her father said in a deadpan voice. Kate smirked. “Just asking, Dad.”


	2. Chapter 2

 The trip to Diamond City was like a lot of trips around the wastes; practically empty, barring the occasional Raider group and the ghoul who’d begun to ask questions of a personal matter that Kate didn’t bother herself with answering. She’d pretty much told him as much as she wanted to tell him about the past ten years. It was sparse information, yes, but she’d begun to feel a little more hesitant with sharing too much with him. Running away and leaving your child to die would leave that sort of sentiment, apparently.

 As they approached the entrance to the city, she felt a small flash of apprehension about brining a ghoul inside. Her father must’ve felt the same as he leaned over and asked, “Have you thought about what may happen if they find out I’m a ghoul?” Kate shrugged. “You’d be thrown out, hopefully.” James straightened up, mimicing, “Hopefully.”

“What’s with that negative attitude?” Kate asked, turning to him. “You’ve never really acted negative. If anything, you were incredibly optimistic despite the circumstances.” James shrugged. “You would be bitter if you got turned into a ghoul in a self-sacrifice attempt that didn’t even kill the man you were taking down with you, too.” Kate watched him for a moment, before looking back at the entrance. “It’s probably me, isn’t it?”

“That may be part of it, yes,” James answered. “You still seem troubled. I’m worried.” Kate began to walk through the entrance with a shrug. “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” She felt her father watching her, but she kept looking forward until she heard him sigh and jog to catch up to her.

As they walked down the ramp into the market, Kate was almost overwhelmed by it all. It had been years since she bothered to set foot in anything bigger than Canterbury Commons, and even then, her last visit there had been more than several months ago. There was a young crier right near the ramp, calling out something about the Institute and kidnapping. There was a man dressed in ruined priest clothes sweeping another ramp leading up into an old trailer. Some guards walked past them, calling out to two men, one of whom dressed like a raider and the other like a merc, telling them to keep their weapons holstered. The raider yelled back not to worry, while the merc scoffed.

“Busy place,” James said, drawing her attention back to him. He glanced at her and quietly asked, “Do you have a place you want to head to?” Kate lifted her Pip-boy and distractedly muttered, “Yeah, Dugout Inn.” She lowered her Pip-boy. “It’s this way,” she said, pointing as she began to lead her father off. The path she took led them by the raider and the merc, and while the raider took interest in their get ups- her Enclave power armor was quite the spectacle, not to mention her father’s old jumpsuit together with his hooded gas mask- the merc had a look of someone from the Capital when they saw anything to with the Enclave. They locked eyes for a moment, and there was a flash of recognition in his eyes before he quickly turned to say a word to his partner. _Great, more home bullshit I don’t need,_ Kate thought with annoyance, turning away and pushing through the crowd.

When they got to the inn, Kate would’ve liked nothing than to vanish into the corner and limit any interaction with curious locals, but figured she’d get more stares if she bought nothing. She gestured for her father to find a seat and approached the bar. She bought two beers, paying more than she needed, partly on accident, before finally slinking off into the semi-dark corner her father had decided to settle. She held out one of the bottles to him, and he just stared at it. “I’m more of a scotch person, you know.”

“I know,” Kate said, using the bottle to gesture vaguely at her Pip-boy, undoubtably confusing him more. “You don’t have to drink it, because God that’s impossible with that mask, but you can at least hold it to look less suspicious.” James stared at the bottle, before grabbing it from her and leaning on the table. He watched as Kate opened hers and took a long drink. She lowered the bottle and gave him a side-eyed glare. “What?” He shook his head. “I just remember the time I found you drinking in the Vault. You were so pissed at me for days after that.” Kate shrugged, leaning back and lazily glancing back at the door. “I was a teenager. How do you expect me to react after you stopped an act of rebellion? Happy?”

“You still haven’t lost your wit either it seems,” James chuckled softly. He turned the bottle in his hands carefully. “You’re worried about that mercenary from the market, aren’t you?” Kate turned her head. “You noticed his look?” He said nothing, and Kate let out a small laugh. “Of _course_ you did. You’re protective like that.” The door opened, and James pointed behind her. “Well he’s here now, with his buddy.”

“Shit,” Kate snapped, turning to look behind her. The two men-at the very least the raider- had an unmistakable presence. He had a strange amount of certainty about him, carried in a world where nothing was certain. The mercenary, on the other hand, seemed to almost be an anchor for the raider, confidence mixed a good amount of distrust. He also carried himself like someone from the Capital, and due to the fact he recognized her he had to have been alive around the time she had left the vault. She cursed again, sinking back into her seat.

“Do you know him at all?” James asked quietly. “Since he seems to know you.” Kate sighed. “I’ve done a lot of things that make people know me, Dad.”

“I know, but-“ his voice immediately dropped as Kate lifted her head to peak over her seat. “Something about him is bugging me, though,” she muttered into the old wood. “Just the way he holds himself. His self-confidence, and even his weapon is familiar to me.” She got up and quickly told her father to stay. “I just need to use the washroom.” She began to walk off across the room, not even sure where the washroom was, and passed the pair who were talking not too quietly about each other. “Can you believe I was the mayor for a while?” the merc was saying in an almost disbelieving tone. “Me? Crazy, I know.”

“Pretty brave, a bunch of kids living alone like that,” the raider said, and the merc shrugged. “I don’t know. I think we were just lucky.” That was when it finally snapped together. She turned to the merc and quickly said, “Holy fuck, MacCready? Is that really you?”

 He stared at her and quietly muttered something underneath his breath. Louder, he said, “Hi. I was really hoping that person I saw in the Enclave armor wasn’t you.” Kate ignored his jab and walked over. “It’s been so long! You’ve grown up! And gotten taller!”

“Not too tall, though,” the raider said behind her, and MacCready glared at him. “Thanks for that.” He looked back at Kate. “I don’t think you ever told me your name when we first met. I think I just called you mungo.”

“It’s Kate,” she said quickly, “but that’s not important. What’s important is that you’re here, and I have no idea why you’re here.” MacCready gave her a cocky smirk with a challenging tilt to his head. “I can ask you the same thing.”

 “Wait, you have a Pip-boy too?” the raider interjected, and Kate turned to him. “What do you mean ‘too’?” The raider held up his left arm, showing off his own Pip-boy, although he was lacking a glove. She stared at it, then at him, noticing he had a vault jumpsuit under his coat. “Oh shit,” she said, crouching down to get a better look at his model, “you’re from a vault, too?” The raider nodded solemnly. “Yeah. Vault 111.” His nod changed to a disgusted shake of his head. “Worst idea of my life.”

 “Oh boy, that has a story attached to it,” Kate snickered, standing up. “What was your experiment? Puppets? Isolation? Worship?” He looked at her, a little thrown off, before sputtering, “No, it was, uh, cryogenic stasis.”

 “Wait, does that mean you’re from before the war?” Kate asked him, and this time he gave a curt nod. “Yes. You’ll probably hear all about it soon enough. The local reporter wanted to do an interview with me about it.” Kate shook her head. “Man, I thought my vault was bad, with the isolation and fearmongering and all that.”

 “Hey, not to interrupt your pleasant vault talk, but don’t we have somewhere to be, boss?” MacCready asked, putting down the empty bottle he was holding in his hands. “Shit,” the dweller breathed, glancing at his Pip-boy. He grabbed his half empty bottle and chugged it. He slammed it down on the table and quickly told Kate, “It was nice speaking to you, uh Kate, was it?” He grabbed the bag that was strewn over the back of the couch. “Perhaps we’ll see each other again? Unless, of course, you wanna come with us. More guns make the job easier.”

 “What kind of job?” she asked cautiously, and the man shrugged. “Just taking out some Raiders who said they had claim to the truck stop I’ve made my home. Nothing big. You probably won’t get paid, though.”

 “I have nothing better to be doing,” Kate told him, glancing back to her father. “And I definitely don’t need caps, so sure, we’ll tag along.”

 “Wait, ‘we’?” the dweller asked as Kate walked over to James and clapped him on the shoulder. “Come on, we’re leaving.” Her father stood, grumbling “finally” in a voice too ghoulish for Diamond City’s tastes. She led him back over to the man, who had started a quiet conversation with MacCready. “We’re ready. Let’s go.”

* * *

 Along the way the dweller had explained some more things about himself. His name was Kennedy, and he had only recently thawed, tearing across the Wasteland looking for his wife’s murderers and his son’s kidnappers. As expected, her father sympathized with him, and they began to talk quietly about their situations. Kate had tried talking to MacCready as they spoke, but he seemed to be only half-listening with an odd look in his eyes. When she tried to ask him about it, he turned back into himself and snapped at her, making her wonder if she imagined his look.

 When they arrived at what she assumed was the truck stop, Kate was amazed by the huge concrete wall surrounding the place, wondering exactly how Kennedy had found the time to build such a structure around the place. When they entered the truck stop proper, she realized the wall was the only stunning thing about the place currently, as there was very little around in the way of signs of people living there. Sure, there was a table set up outside, but that seemed to be about it.

 “He’s been busy building the wall and making sure it’s stable before he does anything inside,” MacCready explained when he noticed her expression. Kate nodded. “I guess that makes sense.”

 Kennedy had walked further in, calling out for someone named Codsworth. As she guessed, the name belonged to a Mr.Handy robot who came floating out of the building at his master’s call. “Has anyone stopped by, Codsworth?” Kennedy asked him, and the robot spoke with a voice that reminded her much of Wodsworth to report that nothing had appeared other than a couple of troublesome mole rats. Kennedy thanked him and walked back to the small group with a shrug. “Guess he’s late.”

 “Or we’re probably early,” MacCready grumbled, fumbling with his gun. Kate glanced through the windows in the wall, staring into the familiar eyes of the raider leader. “Or they could be outside.”

 Kennedy swore, before walking over to the door and opening it. “What, waiting for me to show you in? Aren’t you raiders?” One of the raiders muttered an apology, and Kate barely held back a laugh. _How timid they turn when they learn they’re against the Lone Wanderer._

The raiders filed in, Kennedy watching each one enter with a mocking gaze, slamming the door when the last arrived. The group outnumbered their own by three but given the looks they were giving each other and the glances they shot Kate’s way when they thought she wasn’t looking, she figured it would be an easy fight. The only one who looked defiant was their leader, who stared at her with barely disguised hatred.

 James must’ve noticed, as he leaned over to her and casually remarked, “You seem to make a lot of enemies, sweetheart.” Kate smirked, not taking her eyes off the group. “It’s easy to make enemies when you’re dealing with a bunch of pansies like these.”

 “We want the stop,” the leader said to Kennedy, finally pulling away from her gaze. Kennedy crossed his arms. “If you want it, fight for it.” He cast a cocky smirk back at the rest of the raiders. “But it doesn’t seem like you’re up to it today.” 

 “What’s wrong, _Dean_?” Kate asked, putting a mocking emphasis on the leader’s name. “Can’t get the caps you owe me, so you decided to hightail it up north before I noticed?” Dean grit his teeth at her words but said nothing. “Or is that what you always do whenever you lose a bet?” Kate mocked.

 “Seems like she hit a sore spot, didn’t she?” MacCready asked as Dean scowled. Kate lazily pulled her Gauss Rifle off her back. “You see, I don’t much like to be cheated out on. I also don’t like liars.” She placed it on the ground and leaned on it, brushing off a piece of dust. “Now, I know it probably will be better to give you a stern warning and let you run off with your tail between your legs, but I so much want to blast your face in.” She straightened up, lifting her Gauss Rifle to rest against her shoulder. “Any one of you can run. Leave, forget this place, and I’ll be merciful. You’ll live this day. If you decide to stay, well,” she glanced lazily at her rifle, “you’ll learn the hard way the strength of the Lone Wanderer.”

 Two ‘raiders’ ran for the door, yanking it open and rushing out. “Cowards!” Dean snarled after them, before whipping his head back to Kate. “You may be able to bluff your way around the Capital, but this is the Commonwealth. There are worse boogeymen than a woman with a rifle.”

 “It’s not a bluff,” Kate said, raising her eyebrow. “And this is more than a rifle.” She lifted the scope to her eye and shot, blasting a raider right behind Dean in the head. She had hoped the display of power would spook off the other uncertain raiders, but they all drew their weapons, swearing.

“Imagine, going back to the Capital with the Lone Wanderer’s head!” Dean shouted as he pulled out his .44, aiming at her. “I’d be feared, more so than the Brotherhood!” Kate swore and ducked behind one of the steel pillars holding up the truck stop’s roof. She grabbed another microfusion cell, watching Dean as he tried to run towards her with a Chinese Officer’s Sword, his pistol stupidly dropped onto the ground. Her father pulled out his .32 pistol and quickly shot Dean in the arm, making him drop his sword. As soon as she finished reloading, she turned to shoot, but MacCready effortlessly took him out for her with a clean shot to the head.

 Kennedy sprayed the rest with minigun fire, and as they dashed for cover Kate and MacCready took them out as James spotted. When the last collapsed, Kennedy dropped his minigun to the ground with a huff. “Guess I’ve gotta start clearing these bodies out.” He walked over to Kate and James with a smile. “Thanks. I really didn’t think it’d go like that, but you’re both a good shot.” Kate stood up, brushing dirt off her armor. “You can thank me after I get my caps from these guys.”

 She walked over to each corpse, carefully searching each one other, finding only 157 caps but did find a nice gold pocket watch on Dean that he probably meant to sell. “Why did they owe you caps, anyway?” MacCready asked. “You never really took work as a hired gun, if I remember correctly.” Kate shoved what she found into a small pouch on her waist. “Made a bet I could take out two Super Mutants as well as a Behemoth. He thought I’d get my spine ripped out of my ass and they’d play kickball with my skull. I said I’d paint the side of the Jefferson Memorial with their brains. 300 caps to the winner.” She jabbed her thumbs at her chest. “Obviously I won, but he ditched after that. Been looking for the bastard for over a month.”

“Why bother taking a bet like that?” James asked, a hint of disappointment in his voice. “Sure, it has a bit to do with skill, but it also relies a lot on luck that the Super Mutants didn’t rush you when you were reloading, or that your gun didn’t jam.” Kate pat him comfortingly on the back. “It’s fine. Lady Luck has helped me more times than I can count.”

“I suppose you two need a place to sleep,” Kennedy said before James could rebuke. Her father glanced at the sky, a drop of rain falling onto the glass on his mask as he said. “I suppose we do.” Kennedy began to walk towards the door, stepping casually over a corpse on the way. “Come on, I’ve got a place for you, for at least the night.”

He led the way up the road, into an old pre-war settlement that looked to be only recently resettled. As he walked up the road, people called greetings to him and he responded in kind to each, with a gentle wave and a smile. “This must be his settlement,” Kate said quietly to her father, who grunted in response.

“You can stay in this house,” Kennedy announced, stopping in front of a yellowing house with a  power armor frame in the garage. “And you can stay in Sanctuary for as long as you please. Hell, you can own the house and make a new life here. Nobody else is using it.” He turned and looked at the house across the road. “Just don’t go into that house, okay? That was my house pre-war, and I’d still like to have a _bit_ of privacy about my life before, okay?” Kate stared at the house, at its hastily covered holes and windows with craftly made curtains drawn tight, and made a decision to at least once get into that house, even if her mother appeared to try to stop her. James must’ve read that look in her eyes, as he squeezed her arm, tight, as he gave Kennedy his thanks. The man grinned and began to walk down the road as the rain worsened.

Kate had a feeling he was hiding something. People usually did hide stuff from her. But they never remained hidden for long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> almost wrote cement wall while writing this, causing me immense mental anguish. remember kids: cement is the powder, concrete is the finished product.
> 
> also don’t expect a schedule. I write when I feel like it which is almost never.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is longer then the last one, but oh well. I've been on a roll and I really didn't want to stop. and it might be a while before chapter 4's uploaded, but who knows. definitely not me.
> 
> and I know James' dream isn't exactly in line with what happens during the game, but I just filled it out with my memory and James and Autumn's dialogue tables and just put lines where they fit.

_The look in the colonel’s eyes was one of a shit-eating grin, even if he wasn’t wearing one on his face._

_Autumn and James never had much of a relationship- Autumn would’ve been his superior officer if he’d gone the solider route, and the only times they interacted was on the trip west. If Autumn never liked him before, he certainly didn’t now- a deserter standing against him and his two tesla clad bodyguards, mocking him with the very idea of a water purifier not used for the benefit of the United States Government. And, of course, actually mocking him._

_“Colonel… Is it Colonel?” he asked, mostly to deflect any suspicion from the other scientists that he’d been Enclave, and partly to irritate Autumn who knew James knew his rank. “I’m sorry, but the facility is not operational. It never has been. I’m afraid you’re wasting your time.”_

_The look in Autumn’s eyes didn’t change, but there was a small flicker of anger. “Am I to assume, sir, that you are in charge?” he asked James. He crossed his arms. “Yes, I’m responsible for this project.”_

_“Then I repeat, sir, that you are hereby instructed to immediately hand over all materials related to the purifier,” Autumn told him. His accent was as irritating as it had been thirty years ago, and the threat in his words made his skin crawl. He was about to rebuke when he noticed movement behind the colonel as his daughter stepped up to the blast door and met his eyes._

_His train of thought vanished for a moment when he noticed the bloody mess on the right side of her face were her eye had been, and he almost called out to her before managing to drag his gaze back to Autumn. “Colonel, I assure you that this facility will not function. We have never been able to successfully replicate test results...”_

_Casually and calmly, Autumn dropped his arm and shot Janice in the head, not talking his eyes off James. “Sir, this is the last time I am going to repeat myself,” he told him, pulling his arm back behind his back. “Stand down at once, and turn over control of this facility.”_

_Catherine had told him once that someday his words wouldn’t be enough to get him out of a situation. He’d laughed it off back then, but it’d had always stuck with him throughout the years. He’d been thinking of a plan b if Autumn didn’t back off, but seeing Kate had giving him some hesitation. He mentally shook it off as he growled, “Yes, Colonel. I’ll do whatever you want; there’s no need for more violence.”_

_Autumn gave him a wolfish grin. “Then you will immediately hand over all materials related to this project, and aid us in making it operational at once.” He glanced at Madison, surprised by the shaken look in her eyes, before looking back at Autumn. “Very well. Give me a few moments to bring the system online.”_

_He walked over to the console and leaned on it as he waited for the system, staring blankly at Kate and Madison’s faint reflections in the window. Kate was asking her a question, probably about what was going on, and Madison seemed too distracted by what James was doing to answer properly. He snorted quietly as Kate let out a huff of annoyance and turned back to stare through the glass. Autumn stamped his foot on the ground. “My patience wears thin.”_

_James glanced back down at the computer. “Almost ready. I’m compiling the data now,” he told him, bracing his hands on either side of the keypad. Autumn huffed and scowled, but otherwise stayed silent. James lifted his head to stare at his daughter in the reflection again, then braced himself for the radiation as he hit enter._

_The effect was immediate, and he stumbled into the console as the pressure shifted and the radiation filled the air. He turned around just as Autumn fell to his knees, dropping a syringe down next to himself. James cursed him, hoping whatever experimental bullshit he’d injected himself with would kill him faster than the rads as he stumbled over to the blast door. Madison and Kate both wore similar expressions of horror, and Kate began cry as he leaned against the cold steel._

She’s so much like her mother, _James thought suddenly to himself, before shaking his head. He banged on the glass, and yelled for her to run. She shouted back, swearing at him, at Autumn, banging on the glass, as he slid to the floor and Madison pulled her away from the door. He before he blacked out, he glanced at the console with a faint grin. Even if he hadn’t truly stopped the Enclave, Autumn’s death would stall them._

_God, he hated when he was wrong._

* * *

James jerked awake, glancing wildly around the room before truly realizing where he was. He sighed, sitting up. He checked his Pip-boy and groaned at the time. Five-thirty. This time of year it was still dark, with merely a small glow on the horizon.

 He glanced at his gas mask on the bedside table. _Nothing better to do,_ he thought, grabbing the hood and pulling it over his head before putting on the mask. He pulled up the hood as he walked out of the room, starting when he noticed a figure sitting down at the small table in the living room.

 “Kate,” he sighed when she turned to him, the left side of her face lit up by her Pip-boy. The right was thrown into shadow, and it painfully reminded him of the bloody mess that it’d been the last time he saw her. “You look… shitty?” Kate guessed, turning off her Pip-boy. “I mean, if you could just lift the mask and-“

 “I’m fine,” he cut her off, walking over. She watched him for a moment, then looked back at her Pip-boy. “If you say so. I heard you panic.” He bit the inside of his cheek, surprising himself how easy it was to draw blood as he sat down heavily across from her. He watched her as she fiddled for a bit, about how her actions were so like Catherine’s. Most people mentioned she looked a lot like him, which was true he supposed, but her movements, the face she made when she was frustrated… Those were her mother’s. Kate glanced at him when she realized he was staring, so he cleared his throat and asked, “What are you doing awake?” Kate turned back off her Pip-boy with a sigh. “Bad dreams. Like you, I’m assuming.”

 He grunted, and Kate put her chin in her hand and leaned forward. “Was it about mom? Your ‘death’?” James put a hand on her face and pushed her back. “You’re nosey, you know that?” Kate smirked. “Like someone else I know.” He scoffed, crossing his arms. “I’m not on your level, sweetheart.”

 “Oh really?” she purred. “This, coming from the man who drunkenly broke into the Overseer’s office?” James dropped his arms. “How do you-“ She held up a holotape. “Your own words.” He stared at it, blankly, as Kate pulled out the rest of his journals. “How did you think I found you in Vault 112? Pure luck?” She set them down. “Li mentioned you were meticulous when it came to making notes. So I took them all.”

James shifted through the holotapes on the table, surprised. “Even the notes from before your birth?” She nodded, shifting back through her bag and pulled out a final holotape. “And this one, too.” She placed it down closer to him. “I think you know what’s on it.”

 They both sat in silence for a bit, Kate returning to her Pip-boy while James stared at the tape. “I remember that day,” James said after a moment. “In hindsight, we probably- _I_ shouldn’t have done that, but I don’t really regret it.” He really didn’t want to go in depth about it, but he figured Kate had probably put it together back when she first played it.

 Her only response was a sigh. “I wish I got to know her.” James glanced down at the table. “I wish you got to know her, too.” He felt himself dangerously close to rambling again, and he suddenly felt that Kate was trying to use his love as a distraction from herself again. He quickly grabbed the holotape and put it with the others. “Keep them.” She glanced up from her Pip-boy. “Are you sure? I mean, they’re your notes. And she was your wife.”

 “She was your mother, Kate,” James pointed out. “I’ve spent time with her. You haven’t.” Kate glanced down at the tapes, and he jokingly added, “Besides, I don’t have a bag, and since we’re probably going to be sticking together now, it’s now like we’re going to be too far apart anytime soon.” She glanced at him again, before picking up the tapes and putting them back into her bag. “You’re right.” She dropped it back on the ground with an unceremonious thud, and cheekily added. “For once.”

 “That’s a low blow, don’t you think?” He asked her, and she shrugged. “Maybe. But wasn’t lying to me my entire life a low blow?” James bit his lip, and Kate gave him her cheeky grin. “I may hold it against you, but I don’t really hate you. Just your actions. Sometimes.”

  She held up a deck of cards from her bag. “Do you want to play Caravan? I’ve got two decks and I think a pretty good grasp on the rules.” James shrugged. “Why not? Just don’t get too competitive, sweetheart. I don’t want a broken finger.” Kate scowled as she pulled out another deck. “That was one time! And Butch was asking for it!”

 “One time with a broken finger,” he pointed out, grabbing the deck. “I had to take care of every little injury you gave him, whether through the clinic or the Overseer, you know.” Kate pulled out a bag of bottle caps. “Let’s just get to the rules, shall we?” James smirked beneath his mask, casually shuffling the deck in his hands. “Let’s.”

* * *

 They played several games late into the morning, partly due to Kate demanding a rematch every time he won, and his own stubbornness when it came to losing. After a while he felt it best they stop, or he feared Kate might develop a gambling addiction. She’d complained, but she followed him outside nonetheless. James watched as she walked over to the house across the road, standing on the street outside with her arms crossed.

 “Hey!” Kennedy shouted from down the road. “I know what you’re thinking!” Kate started, and let out a sigh when she realized who it was. “Please don’t scare the shit out of me,” she chided him, putting a hand on one of the two rifles she had strapped to her back. “Unless, of course, you like the idea of a Gauss Rifle shot up your ass.”

 “That’s a threat I remember,” MacCready chimed in from behind Kennedy. “You seem to like that one.” His daughter shrugged. “It works.” The Vault Dweller stalked over, and James had a feeling that he was hiding some part of himself behind a friendly, pre-war mask. He made a mental note to talk to Kate about it as he walked over to stand beside her. “You wanna come to my truck stop? For a story or two, maybe? Some drinks?” Kennedy asked, gesturing at Kate. “Like, how did you get the title of the Lone Wanderer? Doesn’t seem like your thing.”

 “It’s noon,” James pointed out. “Should you really be drinking?” Kennedy shrugged. “No pre-war limitations. And, God, do I really need to forget what happened to Hawke.”

 “I guess I shouldn’t judge,” he mumbled quietly, remembering how he’d been the days after Catherine’s death. He probably would’ve been dead if it hadn’t been for Kate. Or drank himself blind in the basement of the memorial. Kate glanced at him, before answering Kennedy, “As long as you can stomach my stories, sure.”

 The Vault Dweller’s cheery demeanor returned as he chirped, “Great!” he began to lead them off, sharing some short stories about his life pre-war and what Sanctuary used to look like. He sounded wistful, enough to annoy MacCready that he dropped back to walk beside James. The mercenary got a disinterested look, glancing up at James.

 He almost thought he wouldn’t say anything until MacCready quietly coughed and asked, “You lost your wife, too, right?” James glanced down at him. “Yes. What about it?” MacCready glanced back down the road, stopping before the hill down to the truck stop. “How long does it take for it to get better? The pain, I mean.”

 “It never really does,” James said carefully. “You just learn how to deal with it better.” MacCready got an odd look in his eyes and was about to say something else before Kennedy called for him. “Hold on!” he snapped back. He turned back to James and quickly said, “Thanks. That helps more than you think.” He turned and dashed off, leaving James to shake his head. _Why do these people we meet always have some sort of dark secret about themselves?_

 When he walked into the truck stop, he noticed the three already sitting down at the small picnic table. Kate was holding the neck of a bottle of scotch, explaining her leaving the Vault to the other two. “So, I’ve lived there my entire life, right? Then he just ups and leaves one day, no warning or anything. The Overseer didn’t like that very much, and he didn’t like me, so he figured I’d have some knowledge of it. And he wanted me dead. Threatened my-“ her voice cut for a moment, and she quickly cleared her throat. “Threatened my friend for my location. Anyway, she helped me leave, and I ended up wandering the Wastes for a bit.

 “Helped deactivate an atomic bomb in the middle of Megaton, the settlement closest to Vault 101. Got heralded as a hero, but the man who wanted it blown up sent mercs after me, which wasn’t very fun.” She paused to take a sip from her bottle. “Helped some Brotherhood Outcasts and got myself my Gauss Rifle. Went to Galaxy New Radio, then Rivet City and the Jefferson Memorial, found Dad, lost my right eye and Dad to the Enclave, met MacCready, got captured by the Enclave for the G.E.C.K.. Activated Project Purity. Boom, named a local hero.” She shrugged. “Then I disappeared from the Capital Wasteland, and became nothing more than a legend.”

 “Anything else?” Kennedy asked, somewhat cautiously. “I was abducted by aliens, and they preformed a vivisection on me,” Kate said casually, spinning the bottle in her hands. A fearful look flashed across MacCready’s face for a moment as Kennedy scoffed. “No, you didn’t. Aliens don’t exist.” Kate pulled on her collar as she quickly said, “It’s true! I have the scars to prove it!”

 “Yeah, she’s probably not lying,” MacCready said, a slight fearful tone in his voice. “Anything can happen in the Wasteland.” Kate nodded. “Thank you. Someone believes me.” She glanced at James. “Do you believe your daughter?”

 “Well, MacCready is right, but-“ he began, but Kate cut him off with a sigh. “Knew it. It really did happen. I swear I’ll prove it one day.” She shifted and pulled a mask out of her bag, and James’ stomach sank when he realized what it was. _Pint-Sized Slasher mask? How’d she get that?_

 She slapped it onto the table unceremoniously. “Would you believe me if I said that I was once nearly trapped in a simulation with a crazy German scientist, escaping only by doing his games and ‘murdering’ a bunch of people while wearing a mask like this? And that my dad was a dog the entire time?” Both were silent for a moment, before Kennedy nodded once. “Sure, I believe it.”

 “Seriously? You believe my dad was a dog, but not that I was abducted?” Kate snapped. Kennedy pointed at James. “He tensed up when you pulled out the mask like he recognized it.” Kate scowled at James, elbowing him. “You gave it away.”

 “You pulled out _that_ mask,” James pointed out. “Of course I’m going to react. Where did you get it, anyway?” Kate grabbed the mask and tried to fold it. “Good ol’ Point Lookout.” She gave up on folding it and shoved it back into her bag. “I also got this there.” She dug around her back for a bit, then placed a small jar on the table. James scooped up the jar before Kennedy could grab it, looking at the little lump floating in it. There was tape placed haphazardly on the jar, with Kate’s name written near the center. “Is this-“

“A small piece of my brain?” Kate asked. “Yes. Got it removed during a hellish nightmare. Or hallucination. Or whatever it was.” She took off her hat, gesturing at the scar that lined up with how she parted her hair. “See?” MacCready took a drink from his beer. “What do you mean you’re missing part of your brain? Doesn’t it effect you at all?”

 “No, not really. Not as much as it could’ve, I suppose,” Kate said with a shrug. “I knew a guy from the Mojave who had his entire brain, his spine, and his heart removed and replaced with robotic stuff.  He was perfectly fine, too. Better than fine, actually.” She stopped and took a drink from her beer, and to put back on her hat. “Apparently he had the choice to put his brain back in his head, but he didn’t because, and I quote, ‘it seemed happier outside his head than inside.’ Nuts, right?”

 James stared at her as she casually emptied the bottle of scotch in her hands. “But, I guess this was the same guy who survived getting shot in the head twice, so I guess not too nuts,” she muttered half to herself. MacCready glanced at James. “You’re the doctor. Can a man survive something like she’s describing?”

“It depends, I guess,” James said, chewing on the side of his cheek. “Removing the brain might actually kill you, though.” Kate shrugged again. “That’s why there was robotic stuff. They kept him alive.” She leaned back on the bench, sighing. “I played a game of Caravan against him once. Worst idea of my life. Lost almost all the caps I brought with me that night.

 “What about you two?” Kate asked them. “Anything interesting?” Kennedy shook his head. “I’ve shared everything that’s happened to me since I thawed.” She glanced at MacCready. “You got anything? It’s been ten years since we’ve met.” The mercenary shrugged. “I’ve told you everything I need to, I think.” James raised an eyebrow as  Kate crossed her arms. “Fine.” She stood up, stretching. “I think I need to go lay down. I’m beginning to feel dizzy.” James glanced at her. “Are you okay?” She nodded, putting a hand on her forehead. “Yeah, I think it’s the alcohol. Better be safe than sorry, though.”

 Kennedy glanced at the bottle in his hands. “That reminds me. I got to go to Goodneighbor tomorrow. Probably shouldn’t get too drunk.” Kate adjusted her bag and slung her Gauss Rifle onto back. “So I guess when you come back, we’ll get shitfaced.” He smirked. “Sounds like a good plan.” Kate turned and walked off, and James quickly followed her.

 “Trust me, Dad,” Kate snapped as soon as he stepped out of the truck stop. “I’m _fine_. Just dizzy. I’m not going to faint or anything.”

“Dizziness can lead to fainting,” James pointed out. “Besides, do you remember how many times you got sick as a kid? I have a right to worry.” Kate sighed. “Fine. Worry. Maybe you’ll rot away to nothing faster.” He snorted. “You’re going to be stuck with me for a long time, sweetheart.” Kate shook her head and said, “That’s what I was kind of afraid of.”

 There were voices coming further down the road, towards Concord. Kate sighed. “Those better not be the Talon Company or Gunners.” She turned and walked down towards them, and James bit his tongue to stop himself from calling her back. If she had mercenaries after her it probably was better she take them out than let them hound her. A gunshot spooked him, and Kate came charging back, slinging her rifle off her back. “Yup. It’s Gunners.”

 “Why are there mercenaries after you, anyway?” James asked, pulling his gun out of its holster. Kate shrugged. “As I’ve said, I’m popular.” There was another gunshot, and Kate swore, taking aim with her rifle. “Distract them from me.” He glanced at the group of three, quietly muttering, “How?” before taking a deep breath, sliding his pistol from his hip and shooting one in the leg. The man swore as he dropped, taking aim before his head was blown to pieces by a Gauss Rifle shot.

 The other immediately turned back to Kate, one shouting to take out the sniper first. “You did realize that would happen, right?” James asked her as Kate struggled to reload. She scowled at him. “This isn’t my first rodeo.” She ditched reloading as one of the Gunners took out a knife and charge at her. “Usually Charon takes most of their attention, though,” she muttered, taking out her sword and gouging the man in the eye. “Guess I’ve gotten far too used to sniping.” As the man dropped to his knees, James finished him off with a shot to the head. “We do work well together, though,” Kate said, charging the other man, throwing her sword at his chest. The man easily side-stepped it, shooting her in the arm with his laser pistol.

 She swore again, and James ran over and grabbed her sword, turning and digging it into the back of the man’s leg. He grunted, dropping to the ground as Kate tried to shoot him with the head with James’ gun. She missed, swore, and thwacked the man over the head with the butt of it. “You’ve gotten vulgar,” he pointed out as he wrenched the sword from the man’s knee, and Kate smirked as she took it. “I’ve always been. You’ve just never heard me.”

 The man had pushed himself up, pulling the laser rifle up and casually shooting James in the knee. He bit his tongue to stop himself from screaming, dropping down heavily to his knees, eye level with the mercenary who smiled pleasantly at him. “So sad, zombie,” he mocked. He lifted the pistol to aim at Kate. “The only thing you’ve succeeded in doing is giving me more money-“ his voice dropped at Kate dug her sword down through his head. James stared at it for a moment, before glancing up at his daughter. “Really? You had to wait that long? And like that?” Kate smiled. “My right arm is burning. Besides, I like the melodrama.”

 “Always a showman,” James said, shifting to sit on the ground, glancing at his knee. “Fuck,” he swore, and Kate glanced at him in surprise. “You just called me vulgar.” James looked back up at her. “That was once. You’ve sworn like three times just this fight.” She shrugged, waving her hand at her face. “God, I feel worse.”

 “Just breathe,” James told her. “Sit down if you need to. Have some water or something.” Kate glanced at him, quietly muttered, “Sounds great,” before flopping to the ground. They stayed in silence for a bit, James trying to rip off parts of the Gunner’s shirt to use as a temporary binding and Kate breathing heavily. As soon as he finished wrapping his knee, she lifted her head to watch him as he stood, before coughing, “I think I’m going to die.” Before he could say anything, she passed out, and James panicked. “Get up, come on.” When she did nothing, he crouched down and tried to pick her up, wincing at the pain in his leg. The salvaged power armor scraps she’d used to make her armor doubled her weight, and it was a struggle to get to get her in a grip comfortable enough for him to carry her in. Eventually he managed to start walking, limping slowly back towards Sanctuary.


End file.
